AUTHOR=D'Acquisto Fulvio 

TITLE=Quisquis Amat Valeat! (Whoever Loves, May He be Well) Why Love and Passion Are Important for the Well-Being of the Immune System

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Education

VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2019

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2019.00062

DOI=10.3389/feduc.2019.00062

ISSN=2504-284X

ABSTRACT=“Quisquis amat valeat; pereat qui non scit amare; bis tanti pereat, quisquis amare vetat” – (Whoever loves, may he be well; may he perish who does not know how to love; may he perish twice as much whoever forbids loving). This is the text of a graffiti found in the old city of Pompei. The author is unknown. Possibly a poet but quite possibly an ordinary citizen that – in the spur of his/her passion – wanted to share with everyone a pearl of his/her wisdom. Amare in Latin is ‘to love’ and, like in English, it is not just about sex or romance, but it is also about a passion for a cause or an ideal. The Latins knew that being in love – to have a passion!-  is being healthy in the body and as well as in the mind. In this article, I hypothesise that the lack of passion and love in life is one of the main causes of modern diseases and specifically immune/inflammatory diseases.  I will explore in layman terms the limitations of current ways we deal with diseases by specifically focusing on controlling bodily functions without considering the social and emotional dimensions of one’s life. Lastly, I will highlight the importance of cooperative research and engagement with the public and education as the way forward for a more effective and democratic design of new socially inclusive therapies.